The Adventures of Dragon and Pup
by Sagacious Lu
Summary: A series of short stories showcasing the adventures of young Ryu and Bow after the Gate incident.


Act 1: Saint Eva's Blessing

A fearsome eye appeared out of the darkness, speaking directly into Ryu's mind.

"I don't have enough strength..., give yourself to God! Pray to God! Praise God! You must become God's strength..."

"Hey, Ryu!" Ganer's voice boomed up the stairs, ripping Ryu from his dream world. "Ryu, come here for a minute." Ryu blinked twice then looked around. He was still in his room, had he only imagined the voice? "Ryu!" The boy quickly hopped up and dashed down the stairs. "There you are. Yua disappeared again. I don't think she likes naps. Please go find Yua." Ryu nodded. "Good. I'm counting on you."

Ryu strode out through the big church doors, confident that he would find Yua playing near the old dead dragon behind the village. She always played there. The villagers smiled and waved as young Ryu passed. Pushing through some tall grass, he found the old trail that led to the base of the mountain. The forest was verdant and serene. Ryu almost lost himself in its beauty. The wood opened into a small glade that stretched up to the base of the mountain. Blue and orange butterflies flitted this way and that, landing daintily atop the delicate flowers of the field. There was Yua, looking up at the big dragon.

A sudden rustle in the tall grass alerted Ryu to danger. Out sprang a fierce-looking Beak. Ryu looked around hastily and grabbed up a large stick. He had to protect Yua. Flailing, he attacked the blue raptor-like creature. The monster turned and butted Ryu, sending him flying through the air. Painfully pulling himself up, he saw that the Beak was making its way toward Yua, who hadn't noticed the commotion. Grabbing the stick, he scrambled to his feet and charged the creature once more. The monster spun quickly around and knocked Ryu flat with the side of its beak. Ryu pulled himself backward across the ground as the Beak moved in. He shut his eyes tightly and trembled.

"Ryu, look out!" A flash of lightning descended from the heavens, striking the monster down. The boy's eyes opened slowly to find Ganer standing over him. "That was dangerous, wasn't it Ryu? You fought to protect Yua. You are brave." He turned to look upon Yua. "You're a bad girl, Yua! Why did you come to a place like this?!"

"Because, I wanted to see Mom!"

"Your mother?!"

"That's right! If I take a nap here, Mom comes into my dreams!"

"... your mother, huh. But Yua..."

"I know! Mom... is dead!"

"Yes... Long ago when the monster attacked the village, I could not protect your mother. If this dragon had not come to help us, I would not have been able to protect the rest of you... I'm sorry, Ryu. If only I had more strength things would have been different..." Ryu shook his head hard and gave Ganer a look that said, "How could you think that?"

"You are! Daddy, it was not your fault! Everyone in the village says so! They say that you and the dragon saved the village from the monster!"

"Hahaha, you're probably right, Yua. I just hope you're mother feels the same..."

"She does fell the same... The dragon told me..."

"Thank you, Yua. It's almost as if you can talk to the dragon."

"Mom comes into my dreams!"

"Okay then, let's go home and talk about her." He turned to Ryu. "You should also go home before it gets dark." Ganer and Yua started to walk away as Ryu peered up at the magnificent dragon. He felt a tug on his arm. Turning, he saw Yua standing there.

"You should take a nap, you might have a dream about mom too!" With that, she scurried off to catch up with Ganer. Ryu turned his gaze back to the dragon. He closed his eyes slowly. A ripple crossed his mind like water, before him in the darkness hung the eye in nothingness, looming over him. An explosion erupted in his chest, knocking the wind from him. Regaining reality, he hit his knees and gasped for air. Finally catching his breath, he looked around. The forest was deathly silent.

Ryu began slowly making his way home. The forest was eerie and foreboding now. His heart began to pound as the hair stood up on the back of his neck. Without realizing it, he had broken into a full run. Breaking free of the wood, he stopped to catch his breath.

The village seemed different. His head swivelled all around, trying to find something to comfort him. _Bump. _He ran into the back of an old man. The hunched man spun around and hollered through a thick white beard.

"Whoa! What are you doing?! You're a thief, aren't you! Go away! Shoo!"

Ryu was taken aback, wasn't this the nice old man who always shared his fruits and vegetables with him? He backed away and bumped into another man. He looked down at Ryu.

"Hm? I haven't seen you around here before. Where are you from, boy?" Ryu was becoming increasingly frightened.

"I-I'm the preacher's son." A nearby woman heard him and yelled.

"What?! You say you're the son of the preacher?! You're a liar! Saint Eva will punish you!" Another woman she had been talking to looked at Ryu.

"What's your name, little boy?"

"I-it's Ryu. And Yua's my sister. And Father Ganer..."

"Yua? Father Ganer? What are you talking about? The preacher of this village has always been Father Hulk!"

"N-no, no! You're lying!" Tears sprang from Ryu's eyes as he ran away. He hid behind the old dragon statue and cried, hugging his knees. For some reason he felt safe here. After some time had passed, a kindly voice called down to him.

"Hello there. Are you... an orphan? If you have nowhere to go, go to the church. Saint Eva will not turn you away." Ryu sniffed loudly, his face was all wet with tears. "C'mon, I'll show you." Ryu let the man take his hand. He already knew where the church was, it was where he lived. But he let the man take him anyway.

They arrived at the church shortly. Its looming doors and gargoyled terraces were most unwelcoming.

"Here we are. Just go right in there and talk to Father Hulk. I'm sure he'll give you something to eat and a warm bed to sleep in." Ryu didn't want to leave the man, but he continued to urge him on until the boy finally complied. It was getting dark and a chill ran through him as he walked across the cold stone floor. Following a dim candle's glow, he found Father Hulk sitting behind a desk. Ryu quietly approached and stood silent before the preacher. Father Hulk looked up from his writing, putting down his quill.

"Hm? Oh hello there, child. Welcome to the house of Saint Eva. You also have no family?" Ryu nodded. "Well, you have nothing to fear. The church will never turn away a poor child like you. Even if you were a thief... Come." Father Hulk rose and started toward the stairs. Ryu followed close behind. They went up the stairs and into Ryu's room. Father Hulk showed him to his bed. "There, think of this as your own home and rest." Ryu nodded slowly and got into the bed as the preacher walked back downstairs.

The bedside candle illuminated a figure in the next bed. Ryu rolled over, but he didn't close his eyes. He was so lost here. Scared and alone.

"Heave ho!" Ryu turned to see a young dog-boy, a member of the Grass Runner Clan, about his age. The pup searched all around the room before speaking. "What a cheap place. I guess I'll take the candles." He then rummaged through a nearby dresser. "Ooo, a fishing rod! I'll take that too. _Hehe_." Ryu leapt out of bed as he passed. "Oh! Hi! You don't have to say anything. You're just like me, right? You act like a poor child, get into the church, and you steal any valuables you can find, right? But this place is worthless. We have to go to a bigger village. Are you gonna stay here?" Ryu looked away a moment to think, then looked back at the pup and shook his head vigorously. "Alright! Let's go. Let's go to a big village somewhere, steal, and get rich. My name is Bow. What's yours?"

"Ryu."

"Nice to meet you, Ryu. Let's go!" Ryu smiled for the first time all day, and nodded. The duo snuck downstairs and past the slumbering figure of Father Hulk. Quietly, they made there way across the village grounds and slipped past the sleeping gate guard. They hadn't made it far from the village when Bow's nose began to twitch.

"Hm? _Sniff, sniff_. Uh oh, it looks like rain. Wow, here it comes! It's really pouring!" The sudden downpour beat down on their heads. "We gotta find a place to get out of the rain." Lightning stuck all around as the storm pressed down on them. "Look! There's a cave. We can hide in there." The two ran across the open field, finally reaching the cavern. It was dry inside, but pitch black.

"I can't see a thing in here. Oh! The candle!" Bow pulled the stolen candlestick from his bag and struck a match. The pale glowed illuminated the cavern walls. "Looks like it goes back a good ways. Let's explore!" Ryu was a little uneasy. He looked out at the storm, then back at Bow. Reluctantly, he followed.

The two slowly made there way deeper into the cave. Suddenly, something big slid across the ground in front of them. They both froze.

"What was that?! Let's follow it." Ryu shook his head. "C'mon, I wanna see what it is." Ryu grabbed his arm, scrunched up his face, and shook his head harder. "Well you can stay here, but I'm going to see." As the darkness started to close in around Ryu, he hurried to catch up with the young Grass Runner.

Each time they got near the thing, it would slide away, deeper into the cave. They continued to follow for sometime. Up ahead the cave opened into a huge room. The candle now shown over the thing's entire body. It was a giant monster, they had been following its tail the entire time! The creature was massive. A hard purple and red carapace covered its body. It had four big claws on each hand and six legs like scythes. Horn-like protrusions grew all over its body and three burning yellow eyes hung above a fanged jaw. Bow screamed.

"Oh no!" The monster's tail whipped around, knocking Bow across the room. His candle fell to the ground, but continued to burn. Ryu stared up at the creature. It spoke.

"Are you saying you are the one? You say that you are the child for the mission?! Alright, then prove it to me!" A fire ignited within Ryu at the sight of his new friend's limp body. He roared and dove at the monster. The creature slapped him away with the ease of shooing a fly. "Go ahead, Ryu! Let me see you open the gate, destined child. And that is when you will know the strength of God!" Ryu faded from consciousness as the demon screeched. "You are the one!"

Scene


End file.
